“FAT HAM” at the Public Theater Spins Shakespeare Into a Celebration of Community

Unwanted fat HAM, the delectable comedian tragedy that reinvents Hamlet by centering Black joy and liberation in its examination of really like and decline, reunites playwright James Ijames with director Saheem Ali. Including to this exhilaration, Ijames gained the 2022 Pulitzer for Drama with this very same play, just days ahead of performances began on May well 12.

The “Hamlet” in this reinvented get is Juicy, a queer, Southern higher education kid, presently grappling with some really serious issues about identification when the ghost of his father demonstrates up in their backyard, demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. It feels like a common story to Juicy, properly-versed in Hamlet’s woes, but what’s various is how this delicate and self-conscious youthful Black guy tries to crack the cycles of trauma and violence in services of his own liberation. From an uproarious household barbecue emerges a compelling evaluation of agony, independence, and acquiring joy.

This output is also a reunion of the partnership amongst Nationwide Black Theatre and The General public Theater. Relationship back again to the 1960s, the two theater corporations have had a extended-standing historical past of collaboration. They most a short while ago co-generated National Black Theatre’s Stage for Therapeutic and Resilience as a portion of the Cellular Unit’s Summer months OF Pleasure that took put past summer season.

Both equally businesses join forces in this celebration of Black storytelling and local community with Excess fat HAM, which runs via mid-June at The Public Theater.

For a lot more info on how to accessibility tickets, pics of the cast and production, and a unique playlist, visit publictheater.org.

Master more about National Black Theatre and its programming at nationalblacktheatre.org.